Doom! Fear! Run for the hills! Connecticut is gearing up to see its first major snowstorm of the year, followed by freezing cold temperatures.

AccuWeather called Saturday’s storm a blockbuster. Expect it to “evolve into an all-out blizzard, cause roads to close and lead to scores of flight cancellations.”

But you don’t have to be left out in the cold, at least when it comes to storm preparedness. Here is your blizzard checklist, 10 things you need to do to prepare before the potential end of the world this weekend.

1. Have a plan

Talk to members of your family about where to go in the event of an emergency, and make sure everyone knows where important supplies are kept. No, this is not paranoia, just good sense.

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Call your elderly family members to make sure they have everything they need to be safe, and perhaps invite them to stay for the duration of the storm (yes, even your mother-in-law).

2. Prepare for possible power outages

If you don’t have a generator, either the portable or the permanent kind, consider one, assuming there are any left in stock.

Either way, Accuweather suggests making sure you have a working flashlight, a charged cell phone, a battery powered radio or television, extra food, water and medicine, first aid supplies, fire extinguishers, and working carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.

3. Get supplies in your car

The first rule, of course, is don’t travel if you don’t have to.

A cold-weather kit is always a good thing to keep in your trunk. Nationwide Insurance offers the following list: A blanket or sleeping bag, gloves, hard candy, bottled water, folding shovel, first aid kit, flashlight and cell phone charger.

Make sure that your antifreeze is topped off, and that your car battery and tires are in good shape. It’s smart to make sure you have some salt or ice-melt in the trunk to give you some traction should you get stuck, and keep important and useful number handy.

Take the time to fill up your gas tank so you can leave right away in an emergency, and to keep the fuel line from freezing.

4. Bring your pets inside

Even household pets who usually stay outdoors should be let into the house during a blizzard (but you don’t have to let them on the couch.

The Red Cross suggests that you have supplies for clean up, particularly if they are used to pooping and peeing outdoors, things like plastic bags, paper towels and extra cat litter.

5. Protect your pipes

When the weather gets cold, really cold, pipes can freeze and burst. The Red Cross suggests taking some steps to make sure that doesn’t happen.

First of all bring all your outdoor hoses inside and make sure any outdoor water source is allowed to trickle.

Also, “check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are located in unheated areas. Look in the garage, and under kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Both hot and cold water pipes in these areas should be insulated,” according to the Red Cross.

Consider draining the entire water system if the house is left unoccupied for extended periods of time.

6. Five more quick tips

- Keep cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate around pipes, particularly those in the kitchen and bathrooms.

- Be extremely careful with candles and other open flames.

- Keep the garage door open if you are warming up your car.

- Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow. Stretch first, and to it all in short spurts. Or pay the neighbor’s kid to do it.